The pair of radioisotope and decay product to be chosen for analysis, if a fossil is suspected to be 50 million years old. Introduction: The age of a fossil can be estimated by analyzing the decay of radioisotopes present within the accompanying rock. This is known as radiometric dating. A radioisotope is defined as an unstable isotope of an element that decays spontaneously. Each radioisotope has a unique half-life. The half-life is defined as the time required by a radioisotope to decay to one-half of its initial quantity.

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Chapter 26.1, Problem 2CC

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To determine: The pair of radioisotope and decay product to be chosen for analysis, if a fossil is suspected to be 50 million years old.

Introduction: The age of a fossil can be estimated by analyzing the decay of radioisotopes present within the accompanying rock. This is known as radiometric dating. A radioisotope is defined as an unstable isotope of an element that decays spontaneously. Each radioisotope has a unique half-life. The half-life is defined as the time required by a radioisotope to decay to one-half of its initial quantity.

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